OVG Plans Arena In Milan – Venue Is Company’s First Project Outside U.S.; Live Nation Also Involved

Oak View Group has signed a letter of intent with developer Risanamento and property and infrastructure group Lendlease to build and run an arena in the Santa Giulia area of Milan, Italy, it announced today. It is partnering with entertainment giant Live Nation on the project.

The privately funded venue becomes part of Milan-Cortina’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and would host the Olympic ice hockey tournament. The arena is Oak View Group’s first project outside the United States and follows the launch of OVG International earlier this year.

The Santa Giulia mixed-use project is a multibillion-dollar development planned for Milan, a financial and design center in northern Italy. VenuesNow understands that development of the arena will likely begin in 2021 as part of the scheduled regeneration program for the wider site and that it would open in 2024.

The venue will be able to host international standard basketball and hockey events, with a capacity for live music of up to 17,000. Projected costs for the project weren’t disclosed.

Tim Leiweke, OVG co-founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement that the company was looking forward to announcing more European partnerships soon.

OVG is a global venue development, advisory and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, with arena development projects under way in Seattle, the New York City area and Austin, Texas. VenuesNow and Pollstar are part of OVG’s Media & Conferences division.